PASSENGER TRAVEL NEWS„
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The Latest Doings and Developments in the Bus and Coach World.
MORECAMBE AS A COACHING CENTRE.
The Activities of One of the Chief Concerns in the Town. A Loyal Band of Coach Owners.
T N STRIKING contrast with many holi day resorts, where cut rates appear to be the rule rather than the exception, the Morecambe motor coach proprietors are thoroughly organized, and there is eery indication that they are loyal to their association. There are over 80 eoaches in Morecambe, and the majority of these are the property of ,STD all concerns, this number of vehicles being distributed among 3.3 owners. The largest fleet of coaches is operated by Aforeeambe Motors, Ltd., who have 14 vehicles of varying sizes, and also have a wellequipped garage known as the Harbour Garage, in the centre of the promenade, which is a C.M.U.A. approved depot. Most of the coaches coining into Morecambe use the Harbour Garage for parking purposes, and the place is a busy centre for coach traffic, In the comfortable office of the company, which adjoins the booking-office for coach traffic and an attractive showroom, the manager of the company gave a representative of Me Commercial Motor an outline of the part which coaches play in providing attraction for visitors to this North-West Coast resort. The, company run the Silver Grey and the Royal Blue fleets of coaches, and, at the tune of our visit, trade appeared to be very brisk, but we were told that, taken as a whole, the season has been a disappointing one. This is probably due to the bad weather, for the opinion was expressed that, as yet, motor coaching is only in its infancy.
There is ample room for development, we were told, and in a place like Morena:Elbe, which has the good fortune to be placed within reach of some of the finest scenery in the country, people actually come to the town for a motor-coaching
holiday. It was remarked that, on the face of things, it would scarcely be a recommendation to a holiday resort to say that it is a good place from which to get away. But this is the case with Morecambe, and the remark was not made in any tone of disrespect
You come here for three weeks, and I will take you a different trip every day, never covering the same road twice within half-a-dozen miles of Morecambe," the manager remarked. The Corporation of Morecambe recognizes the importance_of motor coaching to visitors and places no irritating restrictions on the owners. The owners are allowed to stand on the pro menade, even on Sundays. This is a valuable concession, it was pointed out. Other traders would be only too glad to have similar facilities, Among the most popular trips from Morecambe are those to Keswick, Windermere and Bowness, and Blackpool. To Blackpool half-day trips are run in addition to the full-day trips. The fares are within a small amount of those charged before the war, and on the run to Blackpool the rate works out at about id. per mile per passenger, although on hilly runs, into the Lake District, for instance, the charge is somewhat higher.
The coaches in use in Morecambe range from 12 to 33 seaters, and as uniform prices are charged, there is only a very narrow margin of profit with the smaller coaches. These vehicles are easier to fill, and, in consequence, there is every likelihood that the mileage run by the smaller coach during a season will be greater than in the, case of a larger vehicle, and thus the standing charges will be spread out and the total mileage costs less in proportion, thus giving an advantage to the smaller coach.
In the case of a poor season the running costs are seriously affected by low mileages. Last year, we were informed, a.number of the Silver Grey coaches ran 10,000 miles, but this year it is doubtful if one.haa covered that distance. Price fixinglis to-day, a very peculiar matter. 011.r informant told us that the men with the big vehicles are very discouraged to see the smaller coaches fill up and get away promptly every clay, when they have to stay at home, or accept smaller loads. Some of them are prepared to lower prices so soon as the height of the season is passed, in order to get a chance, and sometimes it requires strong argument to show them that there is a limit beyond which it is impossible to go with regard to fares. Some of those owners, Who have coaches which have paid for, themselves, are in a more fortunate position than others,, but the man who has yet to meet the Initial cost of his vehicle cannot hope to avoid such a responsibility.
The full-day trips run from Morecambe are the most popular, but coaches also leave for afternoon and evening runs, and when the season is tailing off so far as visitors are concerned the Morecambe Motors, Ltd., run a number of long-date excursions which are well patronized by residents. North Wales, Scotland and London' are on the list of long tours and, generally, it has ben found possible to run two coaches to London. This is an attractive feature of the work because it provides something for machines which would otherwise be surplus just at this time of year.
This season, we were assured, the work in connection with visiting machines has been very light, this state ban brought about because owners, generally, have their coaches in a better state than hitherto, and also because, on the .whole, the coaches have not run the mileages this year compared with previous years. and more time has thus been available for adjustments and small overhaul jobs. In past years, the fleet of Morecambe Motors, Ltd., has done a big mileage in getting home passengers who had been stranded, but, as an instance of the reliability of the present-thy coach, it was stated that the journeys of this character this year have been very few .indeed. Hundreds of coaches use the garage in a year, more especially, of course, in the height of the season.
Morecambe has two features which still link it with the days of horse transport—its horse trams, probably the last of •their kind in this country, and the number of landaus, horse chars-&-bancs, and carriages which line the promenade in the hope of picking up visitors. The carriages are quite an institution in Morecambe, but the coaches are giving
the proprietors a sorry time. It is seldom that the horse vehicles are patronized before the coaches have left, arid we were assured that the drivers would not be able to make a living if itwere not that they took up other work in winter. Most of the motor coach drivers are engaged in the overhaul of their vehicles and in other garage work in the winter, and generally have a better time than the horse drivers.